Angelina Jolie’s first marriage to fellow actor Billy Bob Thornton was a hot topic in the tabloids before her high-profile relationship with Brad Pitt.

The Oscar-nominated actor had not only won Thornton’s heart but also made him a little “afraid” of her.

Jolie and Thornton met and fell in love on the set of the 1999 film, Pushing Tin, just two years after she separated from her first husband, Jonny Lee Miller.

They had an instant connection and eloped in Las Vegas the following year.

Their wedding stunned the public when they wore vials of each other’s blood around their necks while exchanging vows.

The couple’s marriage was unique in many ways; in addition to their shotgun wedding, they also had a 20-year age gap between them, would often swap underwear, and even gifted each other his-and-her grave plots.

In an interview with The Guardian in 2001, Thornton revealed that he was initially afraid of Jolie, but he eventually outgrew that fear.

He told The Guardian, “It’s one of the things I like about this marriage.

I was always afraid in relationships before, but I’m not afraid of her.

Well, I am afraid of her, I told her that once.

First, I told her I wasn’t afraid of her, and then 20 minutes later I told her the opposite, that I was afraid of her.”
After just two years of marriage, Jolie and Thornton separated in August 2002 — the same year the Maleficent star adopted her first child, son Maddox.

The following year, the pair divorced.

Despite their split, both Jolie and Thornton still held each other in high regard.

Jolie said in an interview with Vanity Fair in 2005, “He’s a really good man.

He’s hysterical—we had a lot of laughs.” Thornton also described Jolie as a “great person” and said, “She’s still a friend of mine.”
Their relationship was short-lived, but Jolie and Thornton’s romance definitely kept Hollywood on its toes.

In conclusion, Angelina Jolie’s marriage to Billy Bob Thornton was unique in many ways and was a hot topic in the tabloids before her relationship with Brad Pitt.

While Thornton was initially afraid of Jolie, he eventually outgrew that fear.

Even though their relationship was short-lived, Jolie and Thornton still held each other in high regard and remained friends after their divorce.